Walter Macken: Dreams on Paper

In this deeply personal memoir, Ultan Macken writes movingly about his father’s life and work. Ultan is the author of five books in his own right and has written extensively for national and regional newspapers and magazines.

“A person who wants to write things will have to move about among the people he left behind” W. Macken, Quench the Moon.

This new biography sheds light on the private life of one of Ireland’s foremost writers, through his many unpublished and privately held papers and letters. Walter Macken was born in Galway in 1915 and died there in 1967. Originally an actor, principally with an Taidhbhearc in Galway and The Abbey Theatre, he played lead roles on Broadway and also acted in films, notably in Brendan Behan’s The Quare Fellow. With the success of his third book, Rain on the Wind, he became a full-time writer. His novels include Rain on the Wind and The Bogman, but he is probably best known for his trilogy Seek the Fair Land, The Silent People and The Scorching Wind. He also published a number of books for children. Known for his romanticised portrayal of the Irish and the portrait he painted of the colonial oppression of the people, Macken’s writings were a product of a more nationalistic time.